Dizain Definition

Ten lines rhymed a b a b b c c d c d; usually (though not by definition) iambic pentameter. This is a Dizain chain.
This is originally a French form and initially would have been made up of eight syllablelines, but later ten syllable lines were also used. The few examples of this form in England did prefer Iambic Pentameter, but that's purely up to the poet. The rhyme scheme is: a. b. a. b. b. c. c. d. c. d.

A dizain is a type of poem that follows a prescribed format of syllables per line while adhering to a certain rhyme scheme. Its linguistic origins are rooted in the French tradition, with some placing them around 1565-75, and the poetry form was particularly popular in the 15th-16th centuries in that country.

To write a dizain of your own, try following these guidelines. A dizain should be comprised of a single 10-line stanza which includes 8-10 syllables in every line and is written in accordance with this rhyme scheme: ababbccdcd.

An easy way to remember the basics of writing a dizain is by recalling the Old French translation of dizain -- in short the number 10, or "tenth part." Essentially, remind yourself that the poem is 10x10 in syllables by lines.

Dizain were also written in England, most notably by John Keats and Philip Sidney, during the second half of the 1500s and the Romantic period, respectively. Though they have had no real resurgence since the 19th century, the dizain's linguistic roots will keep it squarely in the lens of poetic discourse.